History of ironmaking in the eastern Alps from the end of the Roman Rule to the thirteenth century

Abstract

The article presents the history of ironmaking in the Eastern Alps during the Early and High Middle Ages. Hoard finds of iron objects attest to the rather high value that iron was assigned in the Early Middle Ages. Even though written sources contain hardly any direct mention of ironmaking, its existence can nevertheless reasonably be assumed. A comparison with Great Moravia provides an interesting insight as well. Ironmaking and mining start to appear in written sources more frequently during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, especially in the areas of Carinthia and Styria; on the other hand, the existence of ironworks in the territory of present-day Slovenia is not directly recorded but can reasonably be assumed to have existed in some areas.